Shoe protecting device



F 1936. s. FRIEDENBERG SHOE PROTECTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 27, 1933 INVENTOR 5 TH NLE Y FR IEDEAIBE ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,032,052 SHOE PROTECTING DEVICE Stanley Frledenberg, New York, N. Y. Application October 27, 1933, Serial No. 695,472 '1 Claims. (Cl. 3.6-7.3)

This invention relates to shoe protecting devices.

Customarily, the type of shoe generally worn for golfing, as well as'in the case of shoes used in various other sports such as foothball and baseball, has a plurality of spikes, cleats or similar surface-engaging elements extending from sole and heel, to assure to the wearer a degree of stability in his movements. Shoes of this character are capable of use in many other relationships; however, the specific description herein will be directed to a construction such as previously mentioned.

Unless the wearer is walking upon permeable earth, where the spikes or cleats may function in the desired manner, shoes of the character here discussed may become somewhat of a problem. Where, for instance, the wearer is to walk over a hard surfacedpathway, such as a cemented walk, or must enter a dwelling, the damage to the spikes themselves and to such surfaces to be traversed by the wearer may become appreciable.

In fact, rules are made in many of the golf clubs of the country that members must change to shoes generally worn, and without spikes or cleats, be-

fore the house may be entered.

It is an object of the invention to provide means so constructed that it may readily, and by a simple operation, be mounted on a shoe of the 0 type described, in such manner that the shoe need not be removed, and, may, in fact, be worn without interruption, as the wearer turns into the club house. The danger that the spikes might mar the flooring is eliminated. At the 5 same time, complete protection is afforded the spikes themselves, since they are relieved of any weight-carrying function when the wearer passes over a hard walk, or a similar unyielding base.

Over a shoe of the type described, a protective 0 member is mounted. This member, when properly assembled, supports the surface from which the spikes extend so that the spikes are retained extending from the bottom faces of the soles and heels carrying them and raised away from any possible contact with any surface over which the wearer may pass. At the same time, the wearer has the continued use of his shoes without any discomfort. Owing to the manner of design of the construction, no display is made of any ugly appearing piece of apparel.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the attachable member includes strips or supporting means within its extent to define a recess or depression, or recesses or depressions, into 55 which the spikes or cleats are intended to extend.

Sole and heel rest upon these trip boundary members, being supported spaced above the bottom of the member a distance such that the cleats or spikes in a recess will be, at all times, maintained out of any possible contact with the 5 bottom.

Other objects of this invention will hereinafter be set forth, or will be apparent from the description and the drawing, in which are illustrated a number of modifications of members capable of carrying out the invention.

The invention, however, is not intended to be restricted to any particular construction or arrangement of parts, or to any particular application of such construction, or to any specific manner of use, or to any of various details thereof herein shown and described, as the same may be modified in various particulars, or be applied in many varied relations without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, the modifications herein illustrated and described merely being intended to show some of various forms and modifications inwhich the invention might be embodied.

On the drawing, in which the same reference characters refer to the same parts throughout, and in which are disclosed such modifications:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation, fllustrating the appearance of a shoe having mounted thereon. a protective member embodying features of the invention, illustrating the general appearance of such assembly;

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section, longitudinally of a structure such as shown in Fig. l, the shoe of the assembly being indicated in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the particular form of covering member shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

a portion being broken away to illustrate details of the construction thereof;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view, trans- 4o versely of Fig. 1 on line 4-4;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view, vertically through the construction shown in Fig. l, and transversely thereof on line 5-5; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modification of the covering member shown in Fig. 3, a portion being broken away.

I In the construction shown on the drawing, in Fig. 1, there has been associated with a shoe "I,

a protective covering member l2. The shoe 5 shown has a sole l4 and a heel l6, both studded with ground-gripping devices such as spikes l8, customary in golf and similar sport shoes. The shoe may be of the welted type, in which there will exten laterally the usual welt edge 20. u

The protective covering member may be made from any suitable material: Owing to the desire for substantial rigidity in some of its functions, materials such as the phenolic condensate and related condensate substances, hard rubber and the like, may beused. However, for certain of its functions, a degree of flexibility may be desirable. In such cases, the member may be made of thin metal, or of rubber, or similar compositions, which will permit flexing thereof, as, for instance, when it is being placed in position upon a shoe.

The member may comprise a heel section 22 for receiving heel l6,-and a sole section 24 for association with sole l4. Heel section 22 is here shown to have an upwardly extending wall 26. It may also include a downwardly directed, recess-defining section 28, shown as formed integrally in the covering member. Within the recess 30 so defined, as shown in Fig. 2, there may be disposed a boundary strip 32. This strip is intended to conform closely to the contouring of and to abut against the side walls of the recess, /producing a shoulder immediately around the recess upon which a small edge strip of heel I6 may rest. When so supported, and due to the thickness of the strip, and, therefore, to the height of the shoulder, spikes i8 extending from the heel are retained spaced away from bottom wall 34 of the recess.

A recess 36 of like effect may be defined upon sole section 24 by means of a boundary strip 38 positioned immediately at the edge of the bottom wall 40 which serves substantially as a sole for the covering member. Strip 38 is disposed to provide a shoulder upon which welt edge 20 may be supported. In the construction shown, there extends upwardly from wall 40 a flange 42. At its upper end the flange is inwardly turned to provide an overhang 44. The overhang is thus positioned immediately over, and by its construction, is spaced sufliciently above, strip 38 so that welt .edge 20 may be received snugly between a strip and overhang. Where member I2 is of an elastic material, it is necessary, when assembling the member and the shoe, merely first to seat the heel in heel section 22. Then merely by snapping the overhang over the welt edge, the parts will be retained properly in their required association. The cleats or spikes, bythe spacing derived from the strips, will then be maintained out of contact both with bottom wall 34 and wall 40.

In Fig. 6, the construction has been modified to eliminate overhang 44 at the forward end of the covering member. A hood 46 extends upwardly from and overhangs bottom wall or sole 48 to provide a pocket 50 into which the toe of the shoe may be inserted. When so seated, the pocket cooperates with rear wall 52 in retaining the member upon the shoe.

Many other changes could be effected in the particular article of manufacture designed, and in the methods of use set forth, and in specific details thereof, without substantially departing from the invention intended to be defined in the claims, the specific description herein being merely to illustrate some possible embodiments for carrying out the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed as new and useful is:--

1. In combination with a shoe having spiked sole and heel portions, a secondary shoe element for the shoe having a secondary sole, the element comprising peripheral portions having horizontal surfaces disposed above the inner suraosaooa face of said secondary sole and defining a plurality of recessed areas therein ,for the'reception of the spikes, the depth of the recesses being sufiicient to maintain the spikes out of contact with the secondary sole,'the shoe sole and heel portions being supported on the horizontalsurfaces of said peripheral portions of the shoe element.

2. A sole protective device for positioning over a shoe the sole of which has a plurality of surface-engaging protuberances projecting therefrom, the device having a tread portion and means for sustaining itself in position on the shoe by gripping the side walls of the shoe and at the side edges thereof having means for pcripherally supporting the sole above the inner surface of said tread portion, the supporting means being shaped to define a chamber for the extension thereinto of the surface-engaging protuberances, the supporting means being of such height and the chamber being of a sumcient depth that the surface-engaging protuberances will be maintained out of engagement with any surface when the device is positioned upon a shoe.

3. In combination with a shoe having a welted sole and a heel, the sole and heel having spikes extending therefrom, a secondary shoe element having asecondary sole for the shoe, the element comprising peripheral portions having horizontal surfaces disposed above the inner surface of said secondary sole and defining a plurality of recessed areas therein for the reception of the spikes, the shoe, sole and heel portions being sup- .ported on said horizontal surfaces of the peripheral portions of said element, the depth of such recessed areas being suflicient to maintain the spikes out of contact withthe secondary sole, the second shoe element having means for engagement with the shoe welt to retain the secondary shoe element against separation from the shoe.

4. In combination with a shoe having spiked sole and heel portions, a formed secondary shoe element for providing a secondary sole for the shoe, and a plurality of supporting strips positioned peripherally upon the top face of the secondary sole, the strips defining, with the top face of the element, recessed areas for the reception of the spikes, the depth of such recessed areas being sufiicient to maintain the spikes out of contact with the secondary sole, the second- 'ary shoe element having a flanged edge, the shoe welt being received beneath the flanged edge to retain the secondary shoe element against separation from the shoe.

5. In combination with a shoe having spiked sole and heel portions, a formed secondary shoe element for providing a secondary sole for the shoe, the secondary shoe element having a flanged edge, the flanged edge defining a groove for receiving the shoe welt to retain the secondary shoe element against separation from the shoe, and a supporting strip received within the groove, the strip cooperating with the element to define a recess for the reception of the spikes.

6. In combination with a shoe having spiked sole and heel portions, a formed secondary shoe element for providing a secondary sole for the shoe, the secondary shoe element having a flanged edge, the flanged edge defining a groove for receiving the shoe welt to retain the secondary shoe element against separation from the shoe, a heel-receiving recess formed in the element, and supporting strips received within the m groove and the recess, the strip within the groove being positioned upon the top face of the secondary sole and beneath the flanged edge, that strip being of a width sumcient to provide substantial support for the side edges of the shoe sole and of a height greater than the length of the spikes extending from the sole, the strips defining chambers for the reception of the spikes.

'7. A sole protective device for positioning over a shoe the sole and heel of which have a plurality of surface-engaging protuberances projecting therefrom, the device providing means for engagement with any surface when thedevice is 10 positioned upon a shoe.

STANLEY FRIEDENBERG. 

